Residents of the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) will soon have access to online triage for medical conditions if they do not have a regular family doctor.
The Ontario Health agency is providing more than $1.3 million in funding for the UCPR Department of Emergency Services (paramedics) to start a new bilingual Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre (VTAC) program. This program will provide access to primary care providers, for patients that do not have family doctors or cannot access them in a timely manner either virtually or through the UCPR’s Community Paramedic program.
This program is 100 per cent funded through Ontario Health grants. The expenditures related to the new program were not included in the UCPR 2025 budget approval process. The initial funding for 2025, totals 425,750$. At this time, the only known expense is the hiring of a project manager that will cost approximately 90,000$. The rest of the budget expenditures will be determined as the program development progresses and needs assessment are identified.
The UCPR’s Community Paramedic program, where paramedics visit patient homes to attend to specific needs, continues to expand and find new and innovative ways to provide appropriate and timely care to residents. The new VTAC program is another expansion of the possible healthcare pathways available to better serve the needs of those residents. There are zero costs to the UCPR as funding for this program is covered by Ontario Health grants.
UCPR Director of Emergency Services Marc-André Périard said implementation of the VTAC is in its early stages, but he is hoping it begins serving residents in the fall of 2025. A VTAC program is already operational in Renfrew County.
Glengarry-Prescott-Russell Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) Stéphane Sarrazin said a VTAC will benefit area residents needing to see a healthcare professional quickly.
“A lot of people are preoccupied with the lack of family physicians. So, I think this is going to be a great project,” Sarrazin said.
Russell Township Mayor Mike Tarnowski asked if there would be a communication program to ensure residents know about the new service.
Périard assured there will be a public awareness campaign once the program is operational.
Tarnowski called VTAC a positive program for UCPR residents.
